With the advent of widespread use of computer systems in the office enviroment, it has become efficient for office workers to communicate with each other through use of these computer systems. It is also not uncommon for these computerized systems to be connected to each other via communication links so that information may be shared between the computer systems. Many workers have access to personal computers or computer terminals in the office for tasks such as word processing and spread sheet generation, and thus use of these terminals as a means of sending or receiving mail through the organization is a logical extension of the computer's communication capabilities. Messages may be typed onto a display screen and sent electronically to recipients via the communication networks that already exist for the computer systems.
This process of sending mail electronically requires that the sender identify the recipient of the message in some manner so that the computer can route the message correctly to its proper destination. Conventional computer mail delivery systems require that each mail recepient have an associated user identification or "User ID" by which the mail system knows the recipient. The sender of mail then addresses the recipient by this User ID when mail is to be sent. These User IDs are restricted to a fixed character length, which are usually short so the user can remember the ID. This user identification or code must additionally be unique so that the system can differentiate users. Because of these limitations it is very difficult to create a meaningful and descriptive User ID for all mail users in a large network. Thus many users will have User IDs that are arbitrary, and non-obvious.
User IDs defined in the above manner create a further complication in that as the network of mail users grows it is very difficult for users to remember these arbitrary identifications, and thus they must keep some record of all the mail users in the network so m il can be properly addressed. Many mail systems rely on a hard copy directory very similiar to a conventional telephone book to keep track of all the users identification and address.
While a hard-copy directory of mail users allows for lookup of an individuals User ID it produces problems in maintaining the timelinesss of the information. If a new mail user is added to the system, the users mail User ID will not be generally known until a new edition of the hard copy directory is produced. Because of printing expenses, this may be a long time. Similarly, a user that changes departments or responsibilities may obtain a new mail identification that will not be known until the directory is updated. A hard copy directory does not allow for on demand updating of the directory.
It is a first object of the invention to provide for on demand updating of mail directory information so that the addressing of mail recipients is accurate and efficient.
Another object of the invention is the identification of remote mail recipients to which mail may be sent. This identification to include among other things the computer system address where the users mail should be sent.
A still further object of the invention is the merging of local mail directory information for remote users with either new information or newly modified information from a remote mail directory.